Pakistan\'s Intelligence Bureau chief warns government of growing Islamic State influence in the country

Local militant groups such as TTP, Lashkar-i-Jhangvi and Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan share sympathies with Daesh\'s local chapter called Wilayat Khorasan

Graffitis welcoming the group have been spotted in several places around Pakistan

Pakistan's Intelligence Bureau (IB), on Wednesday, warned their Senate Standing Committee about the growing threats of the Islamic State in the country.

Director General Aftab Sultan, at the IB, alerted the government about local militant groups that sympathise with the fast growing insurgent group also referred to as Daesh, Pakistan's Dawn news reported.

He pointed that even though the Afghan Taliban were engaged in a conflict with Daesh, other major terrorist outfits including Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Lashkar-i-Jhangvi and Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan are possible allies for the Islamic State in the country.

This is the first time since Daesh started its activities in the region in January 2015 that the Pakistan authorities have admitted to its presence. Hafiz Saeed, a former TTP member has defected to the Islamic State and founded its regional chapter-called Wilayat Khorasan. Saeed was reportedly killed by an American drone strike in the Achin district of Nangarhar province in Afghanistan last month.

Graffitis welcoming the group have been spotted in several places around Pakistan, specifically in Gilgit Baltistan.

Sultan informed that the IB had broken into a Daesh network near Punjab after the Safoora Goth carnage in Karachi last year. While he assured that his agency was working with local security chiefs to address the growth of militancy, he urged the government to focus on creating a comprehensive strategy to tackle rise of Daesh.

Sultan also added that most terror attacks in Pakistan in 2013 and '14 were local in nature and did not involve foreign influence.

Ruchi Kumar is an Indian journalist living in Kabul with her cat Bukhari. On most days, she reports on the ongoings in the region. Rest of the time, she reads, writes and wanders around Kabul looking for people who will tell stories.